Thurles Information

 “People with big appetites, should not expect to fill their bellies in someone else’s fridge.” Quote from Judge Judy.

Local Elections 2014 – A Quick Guide Before Polling Day

Voting Day: Voting will take place on Friday May 23rd next 2014.

June 1st Environment Minister Phil Hogan’s new Local Government Reform Bill will come into being and will represent a new, primary overhaul of our local political system, which to-date is some 116 years old.

Tipperary as a county has been divided up into five electoral areas as follows; Nenagh (9 seats), Templemore/Thurles (9 seats), Tipperary/Cashel (7 seats), Clonmel/Cahir (9 seats) and finally Carrick-on-Suir/Fethard (6 seats). In Co Tipperary therefore this present government will create 40 new jobs in total. As shown the Local Electoral Area of Templemore/Thurles, will offer nine new jobs/posts each with a five-year long contract.

Looking back down through the years, most historians will agree that the year 1898 was indeed a pioneering year in the shaping of Ireland’s democracy, through the introduction of this now soon to be defunct  system of local government. That same system, which indeed from its very conception had many initial defects,  some of which were improved with the passage of time, and same has stayed with us right through the founding of our new democratic Irish State in 1922, right up to present date.

One obvious new change of course now is the ending of the hugely powerful post of County Manager, latter added to our Irish system originally around the 1930’s, in an attempt to tackle that daily hated unit of language ‘corruption’.  As we now know this addition failed in many respects nationally e.g.planning, however same post is now to be replaced into the future, by a Chief Executive officer.

What we can immediately perceive in this new Local Government Reform Bill, are two major changes; one being the reduction of elected Councillors nationally, reduced from currently some 1,627 or so individuals down to around 949; the other the reduction of course in the number of Town Council groupings being dumped on the WEEE heap; down from 114 to just 31 in total.

Townslands included in our Electoral Area of Templemore / Thurles 2014

Thurles will remain the capital of our ‘neck of the woods’ or Local Electoral Area of Templemore/Thurles, offering nine new jobs to cover the townslands of (in alphabetical order); Aghnameadle, Ballycahill, Ballymurreen, Borrisnafarney, Borrisnoe, Borrisoleigh, Bourney East, Bourney West, Buolick, Clogher, Drom, Fennor, Gaile, Glenkeen, Gortkelly, Holycross, Inch, Kilcooly, Killavinoge, Killea, Kilrush, Littleton, Longfordpass, Loughmore, Moyaliff, Moycarky, Moyne, Rahelty, Rathnaveoge, Roscrea, Templemore, Templetouhy, Thurles Rural, Thurles Urban, Timoney, Two-Mile-Borris and Upperchurch.

Templemore/Thurles 2014 Local Election Candidates

Fianna Fáil: Michael Smith, Seamus Hanafin, John Hogan, Jackie Cahill.
Fine Gael: Michael Cleary, Joe Bourke, Michael Madden, Maura Bourke, Liam Brereton.
Sinn Féin: Joan Delaney, David Doran.
Labour: John Kennedy, Shane Lee.
Independents: Evelyn Nevin, Michaél Lowry, Willie Kennedy, Eddie Moran, Jim Ryan.

Let there be no wailing, periods of mourning or even gnashing of teeth for those who will lose their seats under Hogan’s new Local Government Reform Bill. Despite their claims of having ‘strong voices,’ most have been double jobbing, so none will be forced immediately to emigrate in search of work in Australia or Canada. Instead these same so-called strong voiced representatives, many in the past demonstrating limited ability, will now share a €20.9 million kick-back when town and Borough Councils are abolished at the end of this month. At least we know that these individuals,despite being made redundant, will be able to pay the first round of Fine Gael’s non-metered water tax imposition on time come January 2015, while many of the rest of us will be reduced to “the trickle.”

Politician. (Definition): A person who shakes your hand before elections and once elected, your confidence later on.

After this election, Councillors chosen will discover that they will have very limited power or even that four lettered word ‘work’ to actually undertake.  Local democracy as such has been eroding slowly since the vote catching ‘Rates Abolition’ of 1977.  These newly elected officers, that you the people will soon choose, will no longer have any control over; Roads, Water Quality, Health, Local Housing, Education, Transport or even Community Development projects, into the foreseeable future. So my next and obvious question; what exactly will these new Councillors be doing for the next five years?

Motor expenses will most certainly increase due to the mileage distance factor, as they alternate between Nenagh and Clonmel. I still cannot understand why Thurles, the halfway house, wasn’t chosen as our Councils new political headquarters.

As our daily readers are aware dictator Phil Hogan is not numbered amongst my friends on Facebook and I make no claim to being a clairvoyant, but from the current financial perspective of our nation, latter “up to its eyeballs in debt,” all this change just may be positive; including the decision to have single unit administrations introduced here to Co. Tipperary for the first time. But again I ask the question what will our newly elected representatives be actually doing and will local democracy in future, be down to the ordinary people on the street violently protesting, as is the case with Irish Water and their metering ?

In the  words of President M.D.Higgins, while on his recent British State junket, I also would like to comment on behalf of “the ordinary people of Ireland, and the generations yet to come.”  So to this end would each of the above named candidates now seeking election (If I have left anyone off my above list, God forbid, do let me know), like to tell our readers what they have actually achieved on behalf of the Templemore/Thurles electoral area, during their previous term in office.

Remember, I seek information on what each of you achieved, realized, attained, brought to fruition, pulled off, actually accomplished or fully completed, on behalf of ‘the ordinary people’ who placed you in high office.

We ‘the ordinary people of Ireland,’ do not want to hear, I repeat; “We do not want to hear” what you discussed with “strong voices,” or about the work achieved by your political party colleagues in government, which you “welcomed.”

Like any large employer seeking good quality employees, we the ordinary people in this case the ‘Hirers and Firers’ would like to see your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and your References from your last places of employment.

All this information is important to us when we go to decide on whom we should employ on May 23rd, thus ensuring that we can return to office, only those with real proven ability. Forget from which Political Party you hail, Local Elections this time out should be about real ability and keep in mind National Elections are only months away and based on the performance of our current North Tipperary National Elected Representatives, there will definitely be promotions in the offing.

No,no, please, we don’t want to hear about potholes filled, charity fund-raising, car parking charges, assistance given to persons in search of false teeth, glasses or indeed the  public funds siphoned off to sports clubs and residents associations to gain local votes prior to this election.

No we want to hear about your efforts in stimulating  job creation, tourism, that sort of thing, stuff about supporting local business and inspiring entrepreneurial efforts, where no kick-backs were sought or indeed offered.

Looking forward to hearing from you all very soon.